Guest Speaker Jo (Joanne) Peet. Jo is introduced by fellow Kiwi Pete Svensson. She is originally from Christchurch but has lived in Geraldton for the last thirty years. She has mainly worked in small business but nine years ago starting working in the youth sector. Her formal qualifications are in community services and youth.

Pete in his introduction indicates that she undertook a study tour in 2013 and was inducted into a highly prestigious fellowship… she went to the home of the precious dark nectar in Dublin and toured the Guinness factory. (No higher honour can be bestowed upon a human! Ed.)

For the last six years Jo has had the honour of working with youth in a very direct way at Horizon House.

Jo’s Presentation: She is the Team Leader at Horizon House which is in Gregory St. It is part of the St John of God outreach programme. She has been there for six years. It has been operating in Geraldton for twelve years and was formerly called Bendat House. There are similar programmes in Broome, Bunbury and Perth. Horizon House is a not for profit organisation.

The Horizon House programmes focus on youth at risk between 16-22 y.o. A lot of it is related to drugs and alcohol. Horizon House is closely connected to programmes like Headspace and other service agencies.

PP Steve (Bluey) Muir

Jo Peet

The house enables a person to stay for three years. They are ‘taught’ to cook and clean and look after themselves. The ambition is to make them independent so they are able to get their own house. The programme works around setting goals to help people feel better about themselves.

St John of God pays part of their rent.

Horizon House has regular meetings which the residents run.

There are two FT, two PT and two casual staff, however it is important that the residents don’t become too reliant on staff.

Everyone is encouraged to study or work.

Often at the start it can take up to two months for a person to settle in at Horizon House.

One of the major challenges at Horizon House is breaking the drug dependency cycle.

Jo says that one of the major ambitions for Horizon House in Geraldton in the next five years is to create a separate Mum’s and Bub’s facility.